A stage version of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline has been cancelled after allegations of sexual misconduct against the author.
The musical was to have been staged at Leeds Playhouse from 11 April to 11 May before touring to Edinburgh, Birmingham and Manchester.
In a joint statement on Wednesday, the co-production partners Leeds Playhouse, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh, Birmingham Rep and Home Manchester said: “We have decided our production of Coraline – a Musical will not proceed. After careful consideration, we feel it would be impossible to continue in the context of the allegations against its original author. Ticket holders have been contacted directly via email.”
Published in 2002, Coraline is a children’s fable about an 11-year-old girl who discovers a portal in the wall of her new flat. On the far side are her other mother and father, parents almost identical to her own but with buttons for eyes and evil intent.
The story found a new audience 15 years ago as a stop-motion animation by Henry Selick. The new musical was adapted by the playwright Zinnie Harris and the composer Louis Barabbas, and was to have been directed by Leeds Playhouse’s artistic director, James Brining.
Nine women have accused Gaiman of sexual misconduct. The allegations were first made public last July when Tortoise Media reported on sexual assault allegations against Gaiman by two women. By the end of August, three more women had come forward with allegations.
This month Vulture published an investigation in which four further women accused Gaiman of assault, including nonconsensual BDSM.
Gaiman published a statement on his website saying he had “never engaged in nonconsensual sexual activity with anyone”.
Since then, there have been many cancellations of his works. On Monday the US publisher Dark Horse Comics announced it had cancelled plans to publish future Gaiman works, saying it took seriously the allegations against the author.
Dark Horse Comics began publishing the Anansi Boys series, an adaptation of Gaiman’s 2005 novel, in June last year. It was intended to be an eight-issue series but has now been cancelled after the seventh issue, published on 15 January.
HarperCollins, which publishes many of Gaiman’s books in the US, including Coraline and American Gods, told Publishers Weekly that it did not have any new books by Gaiman scheduled.
WW Norton, the US publisher of Gaiman’s book Norse Mythology, said it would not have projects with the author in future, though it did not say whether this was connected to the allegations.
Marvel Comics has no new works by Gaiman in progress, according to the New York Times.
Prime Video’s Good Omens, based on the novel by Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, will now end with one 90-minute episode instead of a full third season, while a Disney film adaptation of Gaiman’s 2008 young adult novel The Graveyard Book, which was in development, was put on hold. Neither streamer has confirmed that these decisions were taken because of the allegations.
